Monday, October 6, 2014

194 governments unite to save global biodiversity

6
October 2014, Pyeongchang Korea, CBDCOP12 - Traditional Korean drums set an
exciting pace this morning at the opening of the 12th Conference of the Parties
to the Convention on Biological Diversity, the fast pace symbolic of the urgent
need to save global biodiversity.

The World
Wide Fund for Nature's Living Planet Report 2014 found that global wildlife
populations have declined on average by 52% in the 40 year period since 1970.

Over the next
two weeks thousands of representatives of governments, non-governmental
organisations, indigenous peoples, scientists and the private sector are
gathered to accelerate the implementation of the Strategic Plan for
Biodiversity 2011 - 2020 and its 20 Aichi Biodiversity Targets which are to be
achieved by the end of 2020.

All of which
contribute to halting biodiversity loss across the planet.

The
collection of decisions to be taken at the CBD COP 12 is referred to as the
Pyeongchang Road Map and is anticipated to include a resource mobilisation
strategy expected to significantly increase the resources available for
biodiversity conservation and sustainable use.

"There
has been increased financial investment and policy action to protect
biodiversity, yet, studies show that it will be difficult to reach the full set
of the Aichi targets if we remain within the current trajectory, due to
accumulated and increased pressures on the natural world," said UN
Under-Secretary-General and UNEP Executive Director, Achim Steiner at the
opening of the CBD COP 12.

"We need
to do more, and do it fast, to protect the very fabric of the natural
world."

At the
opening today the Presidency of the Conference of the Parties was handed over
from the Government of India to the Government of Korea. The last Conference of the Parties to the CBD
was hosted in Hyderabad, India in 2012.

The CBD COP
12 is from 6 to17 October in Pyeongchang, Korea. 14 Pacific island countries are party to the
Convention on Biological Diversity with Fiji, Kiribati, Marshall Islands,
Palau, Solomon Islands, Tonga and Tuvalu currently in Korea attending the CBD
COP12. Soon to arrive are the Federated
States of Micronesia, Samoa, Vanuatu and Papua New Guinea.